Welcome to the Open Standards Consultation

Please note this consultation ended on 4 June 2012. The Government Response was published on 1 November 2012 and is available on the Cabinet Office website.

Information Technology across the government estate is expensive and the way that government departments previously purchased IT has resulted in hundreds of small, separate platforms operating across a landscape of disconnected, self-contained departments.

Our approach will enable the Government to work collectively together but effective open standards for software and systems are required to ensure interoperability between software systems, applications and data. Within the Government Digital Service we are already demonstrating how collaboration between departments, along with a clear focus on the user, delivers better public services for less. Open Standards are crucial for sharing information across government boundaries and to deliver a common platform and systems that more easily interconnect.

Open standards are vital for progressing this work and I encourage you to share your views in this consultation.